Electric motors are used in a variety of applications, including power tools. Such electric motors typically include a motor shaft, a motor armature, magnets, a commutator assembly, brush holders and electrical leads. The electrical leads selectively link brushes to a power source. The motor armature is fixed for rotation with the motor shaft and a series of copper conducting wires are wound in various patterns about peripheral slots. Ends of the wires are fused to the commutator. The commutator is fixed for rotation with the motor shaft and provides an electrical connection between the rotating armature and the stationary brushes.
These components are generally housed within a field case housing. The field case housing is typically a generally hollow cylindrical member with at least one open end. The open end is typically closed by an end plate which is attached to the field case. Thus, there is typically a need during assembly to align the attachment features on the field case housing with the corresponding attachment features on the end plate. It is also desirable to minimize the use of mechanically cooperating alignment features, due e.g., to the increases in space requirements, costs, and difficulty in manufacturing often associated with such features.